Electric feeler for weft-replenishing looms.



No. 747,146. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

.. E. GOWELL & WHITE. ELECTRIC EEELEE FOR WEPT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED D110. 24, 1900.

H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

R. GOWELL & A. WHITE. ELECTRIC PBELER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 24, 1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

no MODEL.

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llivirnn States Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT Urrrcn. Y

ELECTRIC FEELER FOR WEFT-REPLENISl-HNG LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,146, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed December 24:, 1900. Serial No. 40,83 l. (No model.)-

ALBERT WHITE, citizens of the United States,

residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Common wealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Feelers for Weft-Replenishing Looms, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to electric feelers for looms. The-feeler herein described is adapted to do the work of any feeler which is prevented from operation by the presence of filling at a desired pointon a bobbin or shuttle spindle and is permitted to operate by the absence of such filling.

The improvement herein described is used with suitable wellknown devices, not of our invention, to introduce a new supply of filling when the old supply is exhausted by displacing the exhausted bobbin or shuttle by a filled bobbin or shuttle.

In the electric feelers heretofore used the shuttle, shuttle-box, binder, and other parts have been arranged in the electric circuit or have supported the terminals of said circuit, as in Patent No. 657,795, granted to Smith and Bedding, September 11, 1900; No. 633,944, granted September 26, 1899, to Baker and Kip, and No. 636,707, granted November 9, 1899, to Baker and Kip. In the devices shown and described in these patents expensive additions to the parts named are required aswell as to other parts of the loom, while our invention requires no change in the shuttle or shuttle-box and only the addition of a conducting-ferrule to the bobbin. We avoid all danger which arises from supporting any parts liable to displacement 011 the lay or on the shuttle, the movements of both of which are rapid and violent and attended with sudden shocks. Excepting the presser and said ring the parts of our invention are all supported on the breast-beam or other stationary part of the 100m.

In the accompanying drawings, on two sheets, Figure 1 is a plan of such parts of a loom as are necessary to the understanding of our invention, showing the lay, breastbeam, filling-supplying mechanism, shuttle, and a full bobbin with our invention, the

middle portion of said lay and breast-beam being broken away; Fig. 2, a plan of a part of the lay, the shuttle-box, an empty bobbin therein, the holding-plate, and the parts added by us, showing the feeler in contact with the conducting-ring on the bobbin; Fig. 3', a perspective view of the latch-carrier, the latch, the presser, and the slide-bar; Fig. 4, a plan of an empty bobbin provided with a conducting-ring, a part of said ring being broken away; Fig. 5, a vertical section on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1 of the lay and breast-beam and a left-side elevation of the parts supported thereby and of the weft-hammer, the filling-supplying devices at the right side of the loom being omitted; Fig. 6, a horizontal central section of the tubes which contain the terminals or feeler-rods and of the case which contains said tubes and a plan of part ofthe holding-plate,'said rods, and their springs;

Fig. 7, a horizontal section on the line 77in Fig. 8 of the box which contains the magnet and aplan of the magnet and armature-lever; Fig. 8, a vertical section of said box on the line 8 8 in Fig. 7 anda front elevation of said magnet and armature.

In the drawings we have shown our invention connected in use with filling supplying or changing mechanism, such as is shown and described in Letters Patent granted to Northrop, May 8, 1900, No. 648,986. We, however, omit the feeder shown in said patent, substituting therefor the device hereinafter described. The feeler shown in said patent is a lever, which is caused by a spring to turn on a vertical stud supported on the holding plate, one end of said lever being adapted to project through a hole in the shuttle-box and through another hole in the shuttle and to be pressed backward by the filling on the bobbin when the shuttle is at that end of the loom and the lay swings toward the breastbeam, causing the other end of said lever to assume a position which prevents the action of the means which control the fillingsupplying mechanism until the filling has become so much exhausted as not to move said lever sufficiently for that purpose.

The loom-frame A, breastbeam A lay A filling-feeder F, bobbins or fillingcarriers b, (except as hereinafter stated,) the transferrer f, mounted on the stud f, the controlling-shaft d, adapted to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 and held in normal position by the spring S the 5 shuttle S, provided with the slot 4 in its side,

the shuttle-box B arranged at the opposite end of the lay from the filling-feeder F and provided with the aperture 3, the holdingplate N, the knock-off lever n W, fulcru med on the breast-beam at 'n, and shipper-lever N are or may be like the parts designated by like letters and numerals in said Northrop patent.

The actuator or weft-hammer W, operating through a slot in the guideway or stand B, which supports the usual filling-fork slide on and has a lateral extension b on which slides the longitudinally-movable bar 0, the latter being provided with an upturned ear 0' and being cut away at the under side of its outer end at 0 as shown in Fig. 3, the latch-carrier c fulcrumed upon the ear 0, the latch c and spring 3 are or may be also substantially as shown in said Northrop patent except as hereinafter statedthat is to say, all these parts may be of the construction shown in said Northrop patent; but we have dispensed with certain peculiarities of the latch-carrier shown in said patent as not needed by us and for convenience merely have extended upward the rear end of the latch-carrier to receive the rod 0, hereinafter described. When the weft-hammer W swings toward the front of the loom, a dog Mi on said hammer strikes the latch 0 if said latch be in its depressed position, as shown in Fig. 3, and moves said latch and the bar 0 forward against an arm d fast on the rock-shaft d, as is shown in said Northrop patent. In said Northrop patentwhen there is sufficient filling in the shuttle the end of the feeler farthest from the shuttle-box B is thrown out from under the front end of the latch-carrier c at every other forward movement of the lay, allowing the rear end of said latch-carrier and the latch 0 to be raised by the spring 3 until said latch is out of the path of said dog 10*; but when the filling is too much exhausted to move the feeler sufficiently the latch is struck by said dog.

Obviously the mechanism which controls the filling supplying mechanism in the Northrop invention must be delicate in construction and rather uncertain in operation with reference to the amount of yarn on the bobbin at the time the filling change takes place, the amountof waste yarn sometimes reaching as high as forty yards and upward.

To prevent the Northrop feeler from acting prematurely,it is considered desirable to form a bunch of yarn where the feeler strikes the cop before winding the yarn in the regular traverses or courses on the bobbin, the waste of this bunch being of less importance than the waste of the long courses of an equal or less thickness, and it is considered good pracat alternate beats of the lay and passing up tice to adjust the feeler in such a manner that a fair amount of yarn will remain on the ejected bobbins rather than to run the risk of the filling being woven entirely off before the feeler acts, these precautions being rendered necessary by variations in the diameters of the bobbins caused by the usual dampening of the filling and the consequent swelling ofthe bobbins. Furthermore, considerable expense attends the removal of the waste yarn left on the ejected bobbins.

The feeler is constantly wearing on the latch-carrier and frequently requires adjustment on its fulcrum.

Our improvement almost entirely removes the yarn from the bobbin before the ejectment of the empty bobbin, proportionately lessens the cost of removing the waste, and dispenses with the need of any nice adjustments of the feeler devices.

We provide the bobbin 1) with an electroconducting plate or metallic ring E.

Upon the holding-plate N, Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8, we support an electric circuit L, containing an electric generator G, an electromagnet M, represented as a double or horseshoe magnet, and spring-terminals, represented as consisting of rods T T, arranged in tubes u u, insulated at 20 11. from each other and provided with shoulders t t, between which and the contracted front ends of said tubes are springs o '0', which thrust said rods backward until said shoulders come against the contracted rear ends ofsaid tubes. The front ends of said rods are long enough toreachthrough the aperture 3 in the shuttlebox B and through the slot 4 in the shuttle S and touch the ring E when said shuttle is in said box and the lay is swung forward. When the ringE is bare and touches the ends of the rods T T, it acts to close the circuit L, energizing the magnet M and cansing the armature-lever O to be attracted to said magnet. To the rear free end of the armature O is jointed a rod 0, which slides freely in a hole 0 in the rear end of the latch-carrier, causing the free end of said rod 0 to reach into the path of a presser 0, rigidly secured to the lay A in any obvious manner.

The freefront end of thepressero is rounded or suitably shaped to ride over said rod and press down said rod and the rear end of the latch-carrier nntil'the latch is in the path of the dog w of the weft-hammer,which then operates as described in said Northrop patent. The slide and the parts carried thereby constitute the means which control the fillingsupplying mechanism, said parts including a memberthat is, the latch and its carrier normally out of operative position.

Except when the ring E is bare the latchlever remains at rest, with the latch out of operative position, and the only parts of our device which are moved by every other forward movement of the lay are the light terminal rods T T and the presser 0.

. The tubes u u are inclosed in a suitable I case U and insulated from each other and from said case, preferably by tubes of suitable material.

The magnet M is inclosed in a suitable box M, which contains also an adjusting-screw 0 to vary the limit of the movement of the armature and a spring 0 to restore the armature to normal position and to withdraw the free end of the rod out of the path of the presser.

It will be understood that the loom with our improvement makes one pick after the circuit is closed in order that the shuttle may be at the magazine side of the loom when the new bobbin is introduced.

It will be seen that our latch-carrier is simply a lever, the front end of which may be bent down to strike the slide 0, and thereby to limit the movement of said carrier caused by the spring 3 As indicated in the drawings, Figs. 1 and 5, we may use the filling-fork slide m, fork m pivoted thereto at m and provided with the usual fork-tail m to be engaged by the hook m, in connection with the weft-hammer and other parts shown and described in said Northrop patent to stop the loom when the filling breaks, as therein specified.

We claim as our invention- I. In a loom, the lay, having a projection or presser, automatic filling-supplying mechanism, controlling means therefor, an actuator for said means, said means including a member normally out of operative position and at rest, a movable part connected with said member and adapted to be moved into 2. In a loom, provided with filling-supplying mechanism, controlling means therefor, including an electric circuit having yielding terminals, an electromagnet in said circuit, an electric conductor on the filling-carrier, said conductor being normallyinsulated from said terminals by the filling on said carrier, but closing said circuit when said filling is exhausted, the latch-carrier and latch normally out of operative position, a rod, engaging said latch-carrier and moved when said circuit is closed, and the lay provided witha projection, to bring said latch into operative position, and an actuator for said means.

3. In a loom of the character described, a lay, means to move it, a shuttle with a fillingcarrier therein provided with circuit-closing means, a fixed guide, and electric-circuit terminals slidable in said guide and adapted to yield by contact with the filling on the fillingcarrier at the forward movement of the lay.

4. In a loom, a weft-carrier having a contact-piece or circuit-closer which is normally covered by the weft or filling in the carrier, an electrically controlled weft or filling changing or supplying mechanism, and a twopoled feeler forming terminals at a break in the controlling electric circuit, and both poles adapted to impinge directly on the weft in the carrier over the said contact-piece, whereby the controlling-circuitis closed when said contact-piece is uncovered by exhaustion of the Weft or filling.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD CO WELL. ALBERT WHITE. Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, SUsIE M. HANNAFORD. 

